Wacha’s woes: Rookie’s roll, Cards season, end

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny takes starting pitcher Michael Wacha out of the game during the fourth inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha walks back to the dugout after being taken out of the game during the fourth inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha walks off the field after being taken out of the game during the fourth inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha heads into the dugout after being pulled from the game during the fourth inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Boston Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew runs around the infield after hitting a home run against St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha during the fourth inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina talks with starting pitcher Michael Wacha during the third inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

In a multiple exposure, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha throws during the first inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha throws during the first inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha throws during the first inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Jamie Squire, Pool)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha throws during the first inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

St. Louis Cardinals' David Freese walks back the dugout after striking out during the seventh inning of Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

BOSTON – Michael Wacha’s masterful pitching run is over. So is the St. Louis Cardinals’ season.

The 22-year-old rookie who burst on the major league scene with the poise of a veteran failed on baseball’s biggest stage.

Wacha allowed six runs in 3 2∕3 innings last night and the Boston Red Sox went on to a 6-1 victory in Game 6 for their third World Series title in 10 years.

He looked nothing like the hard-throwing right-hander who shut down the Pittsburgh Pirates once in the NL Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers twice in the NL Championship Series where he was the MVP, and the Red Sox in Game 2 of the World Series.

When he needed to save the season of the team that tied the Red Sox for most regular-season wins, he couldn’t.

And that ended a trip to Boston that started poorly.

The Cardinals’ flight from St. Louis on Tuesday took off about 9:10 p.m., roughly six hours late, and arrived shortly after 11 p.m.

“Nobody is in a bad mood or anything like that,” Wacha said in a conference call from the plane, a few hours into the delay. “The attitude is pretty good.”

Then the plane landed.

The six runs Wacha allowed were twice as many as he gave up in his other four postseason games combined. The five hits he allowed were nearly half the 11 he gave up in his other 23 postseason innings.

And, like St. Louis’s other starting pitchers, he got little support.

The Cardinals led the NL with 4.8 runs per game but scored only 14 runs in the World Series, an average of 2.3. In the six games against Boston, they hit .224 and batted .167 with runners in scoring position.

One of the biggest culprits was 2011 World Series MVP David Freese. He went 3-for-19 with seven strikeouts and no RBI.

Wacha actually started out well last night.

In the first inning, he struck out Jacoby Ellsbury, got Dustin Pedroia on a grounder to second and walked eventual MVP David Ortiz, not a bad idea considering Ortiz entered the game batting .733 in the Series. Then he fanned Mike Napoli.

He started the second by allowing a single to Jonny Gomes and a walk to Shane Victorino. But Xander Bogaerts and Stephen Drew fouled out and David Ross struck out.

Wacha was in a similar jam in the third with runners at first and second and two outs. But he hit Gomes with a pitch to load the bases, the first time Wacha had done that in the majors. Then Victorino, who had been hitless in 10 at-bats in the Series, cleared the bases with a double off the Green Monster.

Victorino pounded his chest three times and yelled as he took third on the throw to the plate.

Wacha could only watch after the first postseason hit against him with runners in scoring position.

Then he ended the inning by fanning Bogaerts.

His next pitch, though, was a bad one. Stephen Drew, just 1-for-16 in the Series, hit it into the Red Sox bullpen in right field for a homer. Wacha was replaced with two outs and runners at first and third, and reliever Lance Lynn allowed two RBI singles.

Wacha had been 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his other four postseason starts, outstanding for someone who was pitching at Texas A&M last year. He didn’t make his major league debut until May 30 when he allowed one run in seven innings against the Kansas City Royals.

Ever since July, Shane Victorino has been striding to home plate at Fenway Park to the Bob Marley song “Three Little Birds.” The Boston fans have been singing along, serenading the Boston right fielder with the line, “Don’t worry about a thing / ’Cause every little thing gonna be all right.” After the performance from Victorino and the Red Sox …

BOSTON – There hasn’t been a party like this in New England for nearly a century. Turmoil to triumph. Worst to first. David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox, baseball’s bearded wonders, capped their remarkable turnaround by beating the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, in Game 6 last night to win their third World Series championship in 10 seasons. Shane Victorino, …